Ring buoy and method of making the same



Jan. 11, 1938.

R. J. DRISCOLL ET AL RING BUOY AND METHOD OF, MAKING THE SAME Filed Nov. 29, 1935 Patented Jan. 11, 193$ PATENT" OFFICE RENG BUOY AND METHOD: OF MAKING SAME Richard J. Driscoll, White Plains,-N .,Y., and John H. Driscoll, Edgewater; N. J.

Application November 29, 1935,. Serial. No. 52100 6 Claims.

This invention relates to ring buoys and sim ilar articles consisting of a jacket or covering filled with granulated material such, for example, as ground cork, and to a method of making 5 the same. It is an object of the invention to provide an efiicient and durable ringbuoy.

It is'a further object of the invention to pro vide aring buoy which may be economically l0 manufactured.

It is a further object to provide a ring buoy which is pleasing in appearance and devoid of unsightly and uneven stitching.

It is a further object to provide an efiicient and economical method of making ring buoys and-similar articles.

One illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in

which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the upper and lower coverings of a ring buoy after the coverings have been sewed together about their outer material.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the ring buoy and shows the manner in which it is raised and filled with filling material.

, Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a completed ring buoy.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged sectional view of the ring buoy casing taken on the line '!'l of Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. '1, an upper ring covering l preferably of canvas is sewed to a lower ring covering 2 of similar material about the outer peripheries 3 of the rings. This sewing operation which may be done by machine, also sews folded beckets 6 to. the outer peripheries of the coverings in such way as to leave a short extending end and a long extending. end. The ring coverings are then turned inside out,'as shown in Fig. 2, to conceal the seam 3. The inner peripheries of the ring coverings may then be sewed by machine, as shownat 4in Fig. 3.

The short end of each becket 6 is then wrapped around a rope I and sewed thereto, as shown in Fig. 3. The long end of each becket 6 is then passed around the coverings and sewed to the rope I, as shown in Fig. 4.

ring buoy before the same is filled with filling The upper ring covering may be provided with an opening 5 through which the ring buoy may be filledwwith granulatedv material by a suitable machine suchas that disclosed in our copending application Serial. No. 754,988 filed November 27, 1934, of whichthisapplicationis a continuation in part. V 1

. Because all of the sewing operations are done before the casing is. filled with filling material, they may be done by machine'thus saving time and labor and'producing a neat uniform sewing.

One of. the beckets 6. is located to cover the opening 5 to retain the filling materialin the easing. Before the casing is filled the .becket 6 which covers the opening 5 fits rather loosely around the casing and may be moved toone side. of the opening 5 to permitthe tube of the filling machine to be inserted, through the opening 5 into the casing, as shown in Fig.5.

As, heretofore. stated, a complete machine for filling thefcasingis'shown. in our copending application Serial No. 754,988. A part ofthe machine is shown in Fig. 5. It includes a tube member 8 adapted to pass through the opening 5. The filling material is fed from a funnel 9 down through the tube 8 into the ring buoy casing and is tightly packed in the casing in the manner disclosed in said copending application.

7 When filling a ring buoy the tube 8 of the ma chine is usually inserted first into one side of the ring buoy, as shown in Fig. 5, until that side is filled and then is inserted through the same opening into the opposite side to complete the filling operation.

During a filling operation the ring buoy casing may be held by the attendant or supported on a yielding support which will permit the casing to move downward as it is filled. As the filling material is fed into the casing by the bit or screw of the filling machine it will gradually be filled and tightly packed with the filling material. The filling operation will gradually force the easing down until the tube 8 emerges from the'top thereof. The tightness of the pack may be regulated by the force with which the casing is supported and held during the filling operation.

Among other advantages this invention permits a complete machine-sewing of the ring buoy casing, beckets and rope and eliminates all inefiicient and unsightly hand sewings.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiment shown for purposes of illustration as the inventive features may be variously embodied without departing from the invention.

It will also be understood that all of the features of the invention need not be used conjointly as they may be used to advantage in various combinations as defined in the sub-joined claims.

The expression ring-shaped as used in the claims is intended to include the shape of the coverings or casing strips I and 2 as shown in the drawing.

We claim:

1. A method of making a ring buoy which comprises cutting two ring-shaped strips of casing material, sewing the outer peripheries of the two strips together, turning the two strips inside out to bring the sewing of the outer peripheries inside the casing, sewing together the inner peripheries of the two casing strips, sewing beckets to the strips and to a rope before filling the casing with filling material, and inserting filling material through an opening in the casing located beneath a becket until the casing is substantially rigid.

2. A method of making a ring buoy which comprises cutting two ring-shaped strips of casing material, providing one of said strips with a small opening, sewing the outer peripheries of the two strips together, sewing the inner peripheries of the two strips together, sewing a becket to the outer periphery of the strips while leaving the becket free of sewing attachment to the strip adjacent the opening in the strip whereby the becket may be raised to expose the opening for a filling operation and will overlie and close the opening when the casing is filled, and inserting filling material into the casing through the opening.

3. A method of making a ring buoy which comprises completing the sewing of the buoy casing, beckets and rope before inserting filling material, and inserting the filling material through an opening in the casing located beneath a becket.

4. A method of making a ring buoy casing which comprises sewing together the outer peripheries of two strips of casing material and sewing thereto a strip of folded becket material to provide a short extending strip and a long extending strip, sewing together the inner peripheries of the two casing strips, wrapping the short extending becket strip around a rope and sewing the same thereto, wrapping the long extending becket strip around the casing strips and sewing the end thereof to the rope.

5. A ring buoy comprising a casing formed by a pair of annular strips completely sewed together at their inner and outer peripheral edges, one of said strips having an opening formed between its edges, a becket having a portion disposed between and sewed to said strips and extending over said opening, and a quantity of granular material tightly packed in said casing whereby said buoy is substantially rigid, said opening providing an aperture through which said filling material is introduced into said casing, said becket extending in tight engagement about said casing when filled to prevent leakage of filling material from said opening.

6. The method of making a ring buoy which comprises cutting two ring-shaped strips of casing material, placing a becket between said strips, sewing the outer peripheries of said strips and a portion of said becket together, turning the strips inside out to position the seam between the outer peripheries and the becket inside the casing whereby the becket extends exteriorly from the outer edge of the casing, sewing together the inner peripheries of the casing strips, wrapping the becket about the casing and sewing it to a rope, and inserting filling material through an opening in the casing located beneath the becket.

RICHARD J. DRISCOLL. JOHN H. DRISCOLL. 

